Abstract:

Latinos are less likely to be civically involved in their community than any other minority group, despite the fact that they are the biggest minority in the United States. A great concern exists over ways to effectively promote and improve this group’s participation in their community’s decision-making process [or civic involvement]. A qualitative study was designed to examine how Latinos define leadership, to analyze patterns of civic engagement in Latino communities, and to identify the factors that hinder or support their participation. These findings were then used to design a culturally appropriate leadership curriculum that would encourage civic engagement and leadership among Latinos in Oregon. A Participatory Action Research approach was used in which 15 individuals from Eugene and 11 from Independence were interviewed. A leadership curriculum was designed and implemented in those two communities based on the interview results. Findings strongly suggest that Latinos understand the concept of leadership differently from mainstream society, use different parameters to identify leaders, and consequently display dissimilar patterns of civic engagement as well. There is evidence for the need of having a culturally-appropriate leadership curriculum for Latinos.